“My approach to teaching has been inspired by the science of learning as well as my commitment to modeling and teaching work-life balance. I also aim to utilize strengths-based and culturally humble approaches to challenge stigma and promote social justice.”
Amanda Draheim
Assistant ProfessorPsychology
Amanda Draheim is Assistant Professor of Psychology at Goucher College in Baltimore, MD. She completed her doctorate in clinical psychology at Georgia State University in 2021. As part of her doctoral training, she completed a clinical internship at the Medical College of Georgia/Charlie Norwood Veterans Affairs Medical Center Consortium with a specialization in Psychology of Women. Prior to their arrival at Goucher in 2023, she was an assistant professor at Lawrence University (2021 – 2023). At Goucher College, she teaches courses in clinical psychology, health psychology, and mentors a research team. Her research primarily focuses on cognitive mechanisms (such as outcome probability bias) that contribute to the development and maintenance of internalizing disorders (including anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder). She also conducts research focused on addressing health disparities experienced by members of the LGBTQ+ community. Her clinical interests include treatment of adults with internalizing disorders using cognitive-behavioral, mindfulness-based, and feminist interventions.
Research, Scholarship, Creative Work in Progress
Amanda’s program of research focuses on testing cognitive-behavioral theories of mood, stress, and anxiety disorders and identifying mechanisms of treatment. For her dissertation, they developed a computer task designed to measure outcome probability bias in social anxiety. Outcome probability bias may be defined as a person’s tendency to overestimate the likelihood of a negative outcome. For example, someone with social anxiety disorder may estimate the likelihood of embarrassing themselves during a public speech to be 100%. Outcome probability bias is a cognitive habit that is theorized to contribute to the development and maintenance of social anxiety disorder. To date, this bias has only been measured via self-report questionnaires. As such, the causal role of outcome probability bias is unknown. Amanda developed a tool that will allow for multimodal assessment and, potentially, future experimental manipulation of this construct. Initial research supporting the reliability and validity of this measure was published in 2022.
Current projects include additional validation of Amanda’s novel measure of outcome probability bias and associated stimuli. In addition, she will continue collecting data for a study evaluating the role of the availability heuristic in outcome probability bias for public speaking. She is also supervising several student projects including a review of Seeking Safety for women in incarceration with comorbid posttraumatic stress disorder and substance use disorder, a randomized controlled trial of a brief mindfulness intervention among college students, health needs among sexual identity minoritized women living in the Southern U.S., validation of a measure of sex education comprehensiveness, and evaluation of the role of a observer perspective in music performance anxiety.
Publications
Theisen, J. Graham, Amanda A. Draheim, Angela Darosh, Lawrence C. Layman, and Lara M. Stepleman. 2024. Transgender identity genetic research: Attitudes, opinions & beliefs among members of the transgender and gender diverse communities. International Journal of Transgender Health. doi: 10.1080/26895269.2023.2294825
Agarwal, I. & Draheim, A.A. (2023). Seeking safety in forensic settings: A systematic review. Archives of Women’s Mental Health. doi: 10.1007/s00737-023-01411-3
Draheim, A.A., Kridel, M.M., Flinn, R.E., Ravoori, N., Brands, S., Mosley, C., Drescher, C., & Stepleman, L.M. Risk factors of homelessness among sexual and gender minorities in the Southeastern U.S. Journal of Social Distress and Homelessness. doi: 10.1080/10530789.2023.2276590
Draheim, A.A., Brands, S., Griffin, J., Kridel, M., Wallace, C., Stepleman, L. M., & Drescher, C. F. (2023). Suicidality and discriminatory experiences with healthcare providers in LGBT emerging adults. Journal of Gay and Lesbian Social Services. doi: 10.1080/10538720.2023.2267485
Ellis, D., Draheim, A.A., & Anderson, P.L. (2022). Culturally adapted digital mental health interventions for ethnic/racial minorities: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 90(10), 717–733. doi: 10.1037/ccp0000759
Casanova, T., Yohannan, J., Wood, E., Griffin, J., Wallace, C., Brands, S., Draheim, A.A., & Stepleman, L. (2023). Filling a gap in healthcare for the transgender community in the Central Savannah River Area. Journal of Student-Run Clinics, 9(1), 1-7.
Draheim, A.A. & Anderson, P.L. (2022). A novel computer task to assess outcome probability bias. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 87, 102538. doi: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2022.102538
Draheim, C.D., Pak, R., Draheim, A.A., & Engel, R. W. (2022). The role of attention control in complex real-world tasks. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review. doi: 10.3758/s13423-021-02052-2
Griffin, J., Smith, E.D., Kridel, M., Draheim, A.A., & Stepleman, L.M. (2022). Validation of the Brief Sense of Community Scale in a lesbian, gay, and bisexual sample. Journal of Community Psychology, 50(1), 576-591. doi: 10.1002/jcop.22638
Draheim, A. A., & Anderson, P. L. (2021). Does cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety disorders improve threat reappraisal?: A meta-analysis. Journal of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy, 31(2), 125-135. doi: 10.1016/j.jbct.2020.12.004
Dotson, V. M., McClintock, S. M., Verhaeghen, P., Kim, J. U., Draheim, A. A., Syzmkowicz, S. M., Gradone, A. M., Bogoian, H. R., & Wit, L. D. (2020). Depression and cognitive control across the lifespan: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Neuropsychology Review, 30(4), 461-476. doi: 10.1007/s11065-020-09436-6
Draheim, A.A. & Anderson, P.L. (2019). Working alliance does not mediate the relation between outcome expectancy and symptom improvement following cognitive behavioral therapy for social anxiety disorder. Cognitive Behaviour Therapist, 12: e41. doi: 10.1017/S1754470X19000266
Benbow, A.A. & Anderson, P.L. (2019). A meta-analytic examination of attrition in virtual reality exposure therapy for anxiety. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 61, 18-26. doi: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2018.06.006
Fernández-Alvarez, J., Rozental, A., Carlbring, P., Colombo, D., Riva, G., Anderson, P. L., Baños, R. M., Benbow, A. A., Bouchard, S., Bretón López, J. M., Cárdenas, G., Difede, J., Emmelkamp, P., Garcia-Palacios, A., Guillén, V., Hoffman, H., Kampmann, I., Moldovan, R., Mühlberger, A., North, M., Pauli, P., Peñate Castro, W., Quero, S., Tortella-Feliu, M., Wyka, K., & Botella, C. (2019). Deterioration rates in virtual reality exposure therapy: An individual patient data level meta-analysis. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 61, 3-17. doi: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2018.06.005
Benbow, A.A. & Anderson, P.L. (2019). Long-term improvements in probability and cost biases following brief cognitive behavioral therapy for social anxiety disorder. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 1-7. doi: 10.1007/s10608-018-9947-0
Hertel, P., Holmes, M. & Benbow, A. (2014). Interpretive habit is strengthened by cognitive bias modification. Memory, 22 (7), 737-746. doi: 10.1080/09658211.2013.820326
Hertel, P., Benbow, A., & Geraerts, E. (2012). Brooding deficits in memory: Focusing attention improves subsequent recall. Cognition and Emotion, 26 (8), 1516-1525. doi: 10.1080/02699931.2012.668852
Hertel, P., Vasquez, E., Benbow, A., & Hughes, M. (2011). Recollection is impaired by the modification of interpretation bias. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 120 (4), 902910. doi: 10.1037/a0023974
External Awards, Honors, Grants
Best Article Award, 2023 for "The role of attention control in complex real-world tasks" from Psychonomic Bulletin and Review.
Certificate of Excellence in College Teaching (Georgia State University)
Richard Morrell Outstanding Graduate Student Award (Georgia State University)
Georgia State University Clinical Psychology Program Research Day Keynote Speaker Award
Shaun Duggins Peer Award for Outstanding Service (Georgia State University)
Finalist in Georgia State University’s 3-Minute Thesis competition
Brains and Behavior Fellowship (Georgia State University)
Conference Papers & Panel Participation
Enobabor, J*., Rech, M.*, Draheim, A. A., & Anderson, P., (2023, April). The relation between immersion and situational anxiety in a virtual reality speech task. Poster presented at the Georgia Psychological Association Annual Conference Student Poster Session, Athens, GA.
Li, Zhi*, Lindley, A.*, Sofia, V.*, Rudoff, N.*, Williams, I.*, & Draheim, A.A. (October, 2022). Developing a study to evaluate cognitive processes in social anxiety. Poster presented at the annual Lawrence University Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship symposium, Appleton, WI.
Rudoff, N.*, & Draheim, A.A. (October, 2022). Does an observer perspective contribute to symptoms of music performance anxiety? Poster presented at the annual Lawrence University Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship symposium, Appleton, WI.
Draheim, A.A., Theisen, J., & Stepleman, L. (July, 2022). Attitudes about transgender identity genetic research among members of the transgender and gender nonbinary community. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the National LGBTQ Health Conference, Chicago, IL.
Lindley, A.*, Stepleman, L. M., & Draheim, A.A. (July, 2022). Sexual and mental health needs among LGB Women in the Central Savannah River Area. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the National LGBTQ Health Conference, Chicago, IL.
Brown, M.* Draheim, A.A., & Anderson, P.L. (May, 2022). Comparing outcome probability bias between people with and without social anxiety disorder using a novel computer-based task. Poster presented at the annual Brains and Behavior Retreat, Atlanta, GA.
*indicates student mentee
Invited Talks
Draheim, A.A. (March, 2023). Attention control can inform risk for psychological distress. Invited talk presented at the annual meeting of the Southern Society for Philosophy and Psychology, Louisville, KY.
Hammerdahl, E.*, Hilt, L., & Draheim, A.A. (March, 2023). Attention control mediates the relationship between mindfulness and rumination. Invited talk presented at the annual meeting of the Southern Society for Philosophy and Psychology, Louisville, KY.
Nunez Herdoiza*, & Draheim, A.A. (March, 2023). Attention control may inform how outcome probability bias contributes to social fears. Invited talk presented at the annual meeting of the Southern Society for Philosophy and Psychology, Louisville, KY.
*indicates student mentee
Academic or Professional Associations
Psi Chi National Honor Society in Psychology (contributed to founding the graduate chapter at Georgia State University)